


I Got Hacked by a Fourteen-Year-Old

by AltruisticSkittles



Series: Totally Not Despicable Dee [5]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Badass Remy, Blackmail, Child Logan, Child Patton, Child Remus, Crime Boss Janus, Emile really doesn't want to lose Logan, Gaslighting, Gen, Good Noodle Emile, Human Trafficking Mention, Janus is doing his best to be a crime boss and a dad and failing at both, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Mild nsfw mentions, Patton is trying to help but isn't, Planted drugs mention, Referenced Past Relationships, and Logan really doesn't want to lose his family, anyway, child roman, don't worry he does his best to make things right because he's a good noodle, homicide mention, if not hooo boy, if you know who mara is get ready
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24722152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AltruisticSkittles/pseuds/AltruisticSkittles
Summary: “Who are you?”Janus blinked twice as his username came up “Kidnapper” and sucked in a breath. Someone knew about everything that had been going on the past four months. The question was, who? A message on the bottom said “unknown is typing...” and Janus waited for it to finish.Unknown: My name is not important >w>Janus snorted before he typed his reply.Kidnapper: I don’t play games with people I don’t know.Unknown: Sorry, sport, I don’t play that way :PKidnapper: Alright, what do you want?Unknown: You have someone important to me
Series: Totally Not Despicable Dee [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771324
Comments: 53
Kudos: 444





	I Got Hacked by a Fourteen-Year-Old

**Author's Note:**

> Part 5 is finally here, and I know y'all have been waiting for Patton so here comes your boi :D You don't have to read the first one to fill in the blanks, but it might help.
> 
> Chapter warnings are in the tags, so if any of that squicks you out, best not head into these waters

Janus stood with his hands in his pockets as he waited for his boys to get out of school. He leaned against his car, a sigh of boredom escaping his lips. A few other parents chattered between each other as they waited as well. Janus wondered if they were friends or they met through their children.

A few eyes would pretend not to stare at the scar on Janus's face, but Janus did his best to ignore it. He always did.

The bell rang, announcing the children’s departure from the school. A few seconds later, kids started spilling out of the school. Groups of older kids walked together and droned on about how boring their day was. Younger kids charged into their parent’s arms and greeted them.

Janus stood up a little straighter. His eyes kept scanning the crowd for both Roman and Remus to leave. The number of kids trickling out of the building started to slow, and Janus’s heart started to quicken. Did someone take them? Were they hurt? What if the foster care system found out about-

Two familiar shapes left the front doors, and all the tension in Janus’s body disappeared. However, he didn’t fail to notice how Remus didn’t have that dimpled smile on his face, and Roman gave the ground a dirty look.

“Good afternoon, boys,” Janus called out.

Two heads snapped up, and the sourness on both their faces disappeared. They raced forward and tackled Janus into the side of the car.

Janus laughed before he continued, “Well, you two didn’t miss me at all I can see.”

“Liar,” Roman mumbled into Janus’s shirt.

“I prefer sarcastic,” Janus answered. He addressed Remus, “Did anything interesting happen today?”

Both boys got quiet, and neither of them would look up at Janus. Janus found it harder and harder to maintain his fake smile.

“No, not really,” Remus eventually mumbled out.

Janus quirked a brow as he looked over at Roman.

“It was okay,” Roman answered.

Janus let out a long sigh. Only two weeks at their new school and Roman and Remus were already keeping secrets from him. Well, he supposed they were learning from the best. Janus opened the car door, and Roman and Remus slid in.

“Hey, you got the window seat this morning.”

“So? You got it twice yesterday.”

“It’s my turn!”

“No, I got in first.”

“Januuuuus!”

Janus sighed through his nose as he shut his car door. He lifted Roman into the air and put him on the other side of the car.

“There, now you both get the window seat,” he said. The action seemed to quell the fight for now, but Roman and Remus still glared at each other from across the seat. Janus sighed and rubbed his hand down his face. Even though it was exasperating, he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

This is why he didn’t adopt kids.

* * *

When they arrived home, Roman and Remus both raced ahead of Janus and spun around in the rotating door, as they always did. Janus closed his door and followed them in, rotating once around with them, as they always did. The boys then raced to the elevator door so they could relax for the evening, as they always did. Roman and Remus fought over who was going to press the star button to the top floor, as they always did. Janus stepped into the elevator and pushed the button before they could get done arguing, as he usually did.

“Hey, Janus, can we watch Robin Hood tonight?” Roman asked.

“We have fresh Virgil downstairs,” Janus responded.

“I wanna watch Alien,” Remus whined.

“Eww, gross,” Roman shot back. “That movie’s creepy.”

“You’re creepy.”

“You’re creepier.”

Janus sighed through his nose and shook his head back and forth. He never liked routine, but he could get used to this.

The elevator doors opened, and the chorus of a hundred voices shouting flooded the elevator. Roman and Remus hid behind Janus. Janus’s body stiffened, and he sped out of the elevator.

People moved from computer to computer. Papers flew. A few people threw keyboards disconnected from their computers across the room. From the looks of it, Emile was trying to get things under control but was very much failing at it. Janus sucked in a deep breath.

“What is going on here?!” he screamed.

The noise in the office rolled to a stop. Heads turned to him, some fearful, some still hanging on to their anger, and some with frustrated tears in their eyes. Emile visibly sagged against a desk. Janus stormed forward with Roman and Remus trailing close behind him. He didn’t miss the bouncing frog on everyone’s computer. He also didn’t miss the way Logan hid as soon as he charged forward, and the poor kid was under someone’s desk. He'd have to apologize to Logan later. Janus stopped a few inches from Emile.

Janus repeated again in a much cooler tone, “What is going on here, Emile?”

Emile scrubbed a hand over his face, and he let out a long, tired sigh.

“From what I understand,” Emile said, “someone opened an email that everyone got, and after that, this frog started leaping around on everyone’s screens. I think we’ve been hacked.”

“Great,” Janus mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. “How long?”

“Oh, uh, I’d say maybe five minutes ago. Logan’s been trying to figure out how to get the computers to respond again.”

If Logan heard, he didn’t acknowledge it.

Janus walked past Emile and studied the little green frog hopping around on the screen. It looked like vector art a kid would make. Janus rubbed his thumb and forefinger over his eyes.

“Well, make sure it gets fixed-”

Just like that, all the computers restarted. The frog on the screen disappeared, and everything seemed to boot up like normal. Everyone held their breath.

“I still want everything wiped,” Janus replied. “Don’t let your guard down. We don’t know who these people are or what they want.”

Emile nodded in confirmation. Janus headed toward his office. Roman and Remus followed behind him, and once Janus opened the door, the two of them sped up the stairs to race each other to the top.

Janus leaned against his closed door. Of course this had to happen when everything was running smoothly for once. Janus walked over to his computer, wondering if he shared the same fate as everyone else.

On the screen was a single window, with one message on it.

_“Hello c:”_

Janus stared at his screen for a moment. He sat down at his computer chair and kept his eyes trained on the little instant messenger box. Underneath it was something for Janus to type into. He looked at the username.

Unknown.

Janus cursed under his breath. He knew those emails were someone trying to hack into his system. The question was, who as stupid enough to click on the message?

Janus’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. He thought for a moment before he typed.

_“Who are you?”_

Janus blinked twice as his username came up “Kidnapper” and sucked in a breath. Someone knew about everything that had been going on the past four months. The question was, who? A message on the bottom said “unknown is typing...” and Janus waited for it to finish.

_Unknown: My name is not important >w>_

Janus snorted before he typed his reply.

_Kidnapper: I don’t play games with people I don’t know._

_Unknown: Sorry, sport, I don’t play that way :P_

_Kidnapper: Alright, what do you want?_

_Unknown: You have someone important to me_

Janus sat back in his chair, his lips pulled into a tight line. He stood and hastened over to his door. As soon as he caught Emile’s eye, he motioned for Emile to step into his office. Emile excused himself from Logan’s side and obeyed Janus’s order. Janus sat down in his computer chair as Emile hovered over the back.

“You have someone important to me,” Emile read out loud. “But who?”

“Could be anyone,” Janus said with a shrug. “Roman and Remus, Logan, Remy-”

“They’re typing again.”

Janus furrowed his brow in annoyance, but he excused the interruption for now.

_Unknown: Do you know who I mean?_

_Kidnapper: Could you be more specific? I run a large operation._

A link forwarded itself to them, and Janus glanced at Emile. Should they click it? What if it was a trap?

_Kidnapper: How do i know this link isn’t going to ruin my computer?_

_Unknown: I’m already in your computer lmao_

_Unknown: All I’d have to do is send a code and you’re whole organization goes out for the world to see... names, addresses, and everything… so why would I waste time on a link ;)_

Emile and Janus shared a concerned look. Hesitantly, Janus hovered his mouse over the link. A single click brought up a website linking to a news article.

CHILD YOUTUBE STAR GOES MISSING IN HIS OWN HOME

“Logan,” Emile said as he sucked in a breath through his teeth. Janus put his fingers to his lips in thought, and he sighed through his nose.

“So, the question is, is this someone Logan’s parents hired, or is it someone else?” Janus asked.

The next sentence from Unknown popped up on the screen.

_Unknown: Now do you know?_

“Emile, go get Logan,” Janus ordered. Emile hesitated before he stepped out of the office. Janus stared at the screen for a few seconds before he typed back.

_Kidnapper: What if I say no?_

_Unknown: You shouldn’t lie Mr. Escamas. It’s wrong :P_

Emile opened the office door. Logan stood in the doorway, shaking like a leaf. Janus’s heart broke a bit, and he motioned for Logan to come. Logan either couldn’t or didn’t want to move, but a gentle hand on his back and an encouraging smile on Emile’s face helped him start his journey. Janus stood, and he motioned for Logan to sit in his chair. Logan looked from the chair to Janus and rose a brow in question. Janus nodded, and Logan sat down. Janus had to adjust the height so Logan could comfortably sit in it.

After Logan read through the messages, he clicked on the link. Seeing his name and picture on the screen froze him solid. His mouth hung open in shock, and his fingers gripped into the chair arms as he stared at the screen.

“No,” he whispered. His eyes lined with tears. “No, don’t let them take me. Don’t-”

“We’re not going to give you up, Logan,” Emile said as he put a hand on Logan’s icy one.

Logan looked over at Emile, then his head craned up to catch Janus’s eye. Janus nodded his head in confirmation, and Logan turned his head back to the screen.

_Unknown: So, are you going to lie again or tell me you have him?_

Logan swallowed hard. He squirmed in Janus’s chair. Janus looked down at Logan, and he sighed through his nose.

“It’s your call, Logan. What do you want us to do?”

“I want,” Logan paused, “I want to know why they want me. Did my parents find me, or is this just someone looking for internet fame?”

Janus gestured to the computer screen, and Logan stared down at the keys for a moment. Slowly, finger by finger, he typed his message into the screen.

_Kidnapper: Why would you want to know about Logan’s whereabouts? What is he to you personally, Unknown?_

There was a pause before the person started typing again. Logan held his breath as he waited.

_Unknown: I’m just a concerned fan looking for my idol_

_Kidnapper: Who are you?_

_Unknown: I already told you I don’t play that way >:(_

_Unknown: Follow the rules >:(_

_Kidnapper: Of course. I, if anyone, understand the fundamental necessity of rules. However, if I am to be returned to my parents, I would appreciate knowing who is turning me in, and why haven’t they called the police if they are so sure of my whereabouts?_

For a few minutes, the hacker didn’t respond. No indication that they were typing, no single message, no emojis, nothing. Logan wondered if that was all the confirmation the hacker needed to set their plan in motion. He sucked in a deep breath.

Then, finally, they responded.

_Unknown: Logan? Is that you? :O_

_Kidnapper: Yes, it’s me._

_Unknown: How do I know? >:( You tried to lie before and you could easily pretend to be Logan_

_Kidnapper: Would it be easier to have a face to face video call? That way, I would be able to confirm my identity and you would be able to reveal who you are without giving a name for us to track you by._

For the longest time, no one responded to Logan’s message. Logan wondered if the kidnapper cut off the connection or if it was something else. Janus stood up straighter as he heard the door to his bedroom open, and he motioned for Emile to go check on the twins. Emile gave Janus a long glare, but he sighed and went toward the bedroom. Logan whimpered as his emotional support disappeared from his side.

Finally, Unknown started typing once again.

_Unknown: Hello, Janus. You probably don’t remember me anymore, but that’s okay by me. I’m the one who hired our hacker to get into your system, but since he’s a minor, I don’t think he should be video chatting with a strange adult. You’d agree, right?_

“Logan,” Janus said in a controlled voice, “get out of my chair and go upstairs. I believe the adults are going to have a long chat.”

Logan was out of Janus’s chair and up the stairs before Janus could sit down in his chair. He sighed through his nose. The poor kid. Steeling himself, Janus replied to the person on the other end of the screen.

_Kidnapper: Video call. Now._

_Unknown: So straight forward. That’s what I liked about you. You never had time for bullshit._

A link appeared on the screen once again. Janus hesitated for a moment before he clicked it. The screen on the messenger went blank, and then slowly illuminated.

Sitting in an office chair much like Janus was a slender, young woman. Her blond hair was wrapped up in a tight bun, and her brown eyes and lips were narrowed into a blood-stained lipstick grin. Her fingers met in the middle of her chest like an evil scheming villain. Back and forth her chair swiveled as she bided her time.

“Mara,” Janus hissed.

“Oh, so you do remember me,” she said with a grin. “I’m impressed.”

“How could I forget a witch like you.”

“Oh, I’m a witch now? That’s not what you were calling me five years ago.”

“Why do you want Logan?”

Mara leaned back in her chair and tilted her head to the side. “Me? Personally? I could care less about Logan. His parents, on the other hand, they want him back something fierce.”

“Do you know what those bastards did to him? I know you hate child abusers as much as I do.”

“Oh, I know everything they did to Logan,” Mara spat back. “Did you honestly think I’d give those low life bastards their son back? No, I was going to use Logan as bait to get the money they owed me, and then shoot them myself.”

“Oh yeah? Well, get in line. Trust me. It doesn’t work.”

“Doesn’t it? As far as I know, you haven’t alerted them at all that you had Logan.”

Janus swallowed his sharp reply and then said, “Yeah? And what are you going to do with Logan once you shoot his parents?”

“Earn the rest of the fortune they probably won’t pay back. Do you know how much Logan makes a year? It’s enough for him to go to Harvard every year.”

“Of course it’s all about money to you. It’s always been about money. Do you even have a heart?”

“That’s a stupid question. You know the answer already.”

Janus swallowed thickly. “Logan deserves the right to decide what to do with his parents, not you. If he wants to see them rot in jail, that should be his choice. If he wants to blow their brains out, that’s his choice as well. Not yours.”

“Oh, attached are we? Tell you what, we can share him. I’ll take the money, and you can keep the kid. Deal?”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Thank you! I try my hardest.” Mara paused. “Come on, Janus. You once promised me we were going to be the biggest crime organization in the city. We were going to run this town together. How is this any different?”

“Because you and I have two very different ideas about what control looks like, and I would rather rot than watch you take over this city.”

“So cocky. I preferred it when you were on your knees begging for mercy.”

Janus glared in response. He dug his fingernails into his chair and inhaled through his nose.

Mara continued, “So, Janus, when do I get to meet my child star?”

“Never.”

“Oh, come on. We can do this the hard way or the easy way. Either way, I get Logan back. It’s up to you whether or not you get to rake in the benefits.”

“Logan is not a thing you can make money off of whenever you want. How does that make you any different than his parents?”

“Easy. I don’t beat him up.”

“And what happens if he doesn’t want to perform for you?”

“There’s more than one way to make people do what you want. How do you think I got my star hacker?”

Janus paused for a moment before he responded, “You’re not getting the kid.”

Mara’s long, overdramatic sigh brought a reflexive grin to his face. She rubbed her temples and mumbled, “You never did like doing things the easy way, did you?”

“I just don’t like playing with bullies. I can be very agreeable if you’re not an asshole.”

Mara hummed. She leaned forward, one palm on her chin, and pushed her lips into a lazy grin. “Did you forget, Janus, that I have all your information downloaded into my computer. I can hand everything over to the police, not only on you but everyone you’re protecting. Remy’s illegal immigration, Emile’s homicide, Cassie’s faked drug history- wait actually no, I think I’ll keep that one secret as a gift to her, but the name of the police officers dealing with you-”

“Alright, fine,” Janus growled. Mara rose a brow in curiosity, and Janus continued, “Fine. What do you want me to do?”

“There’s my golden boy.” Mara thought for a moment. “I want you to meet us down at Elm Avenue’s abandoned glue factory, you know, the one we shut down together because it was dumping toxins into the river? I think that’d be a poetic place to work together again.”

“Alright. What are the conditions?”

“I don’t want any of your cop friends hanging around. You can bring Remy for protection if you really want, but no one else.”

“And how do I know you’re not going to show up with your gang and take me out?”

Mara put a wounded hand to her chest. “Janus, you cut me deep. You may have betrayed me, but I’m better than you. I’d never.”

Janus rose a brow.

Mara added on, “I’d never do that on purpose.”

“And what if Logan refuses to go?”

“I have a feeling he’ll see it my way.”

Janus pursed his lips together. He hated how much the next words stung his throat, “Fine. When do you want to meet?”

“Later tonight, if we could. I have a lot of time and money to make up. How about eleven or so tonight?”

“Deal.”

“Good boy. Don’t be late.” Mara blew a kiss at the screen. After that, the screen went completely dark.

Janus leaned back in his chair. He wanted to throw something, but he knew Logan was most likely listening to everything and was probably scared enough. He chose to instead throw a bottle of gin roughly into his trashcan and stomp up the stairs.

Janus stood at his bedroom door for a moment and composed himself. He twisted the door handle and peeked inside.

Logan was buried into Emile’s chest, his shoulders shaking. Emile was sitting cross-legged with Logan wrapped around him in every possible way he could get so they couldn’t be separated. Roman and Remus flanked Logan on both sides, their heads and hands resting protectively on Logan’s back.

Roman caught Janus entering the room and jumped up. He shouted, “Janus, you’re not really going to give Logan away, are you?”

“You can’t,” Remus added as he joined Roman. “We’re a family, and family means nobody gets left behind.”

Janus removed his hat to scrape his hand through his hair. He caught Emile’s eye, who looked up from Logan’s shoulder long enough to reveal he knew what Janus was going to say next. Logan squeezed Emile tighter, knowing the conclusion as well.

“I don’t know what else to do,” Janus mumbled.

Roman and Remus started screaming over each other to offer suggestions to help Logan, anything from wildly imaginative to just crazy enough to work. Janus held his hands out to try and quell the boys, but they weren’t having it. His temper rose. Janus flipped the light switch off, throwing the group in the dark.

“Listen,” Janus hissed. He flipped the lights back on to catch four pairs of eyes staring at him. Janus let out a long breath. “We made a deal. Logan’s going to stay with us, but Mara wants-”

“Who’s Mara?”

“I heard she’s a witch.”

“Does that mean she put a spell on you to make Logan go?”

“I’ll slay her.”

Janus interrupted, “Let me finish, please. Logan is going to stay with us, but Mara wants to use his YouTube channel to pay back the debt his parents owe. Nothing more. So, that means Logan will be working for her, but he’ll still be here with our family, okay?”

Janus caught Emile’s glare, and for a moment, he was afraid Emile was going to stand up and fight Janus himself. However, Emile didn’t move a muscle.

“Can we trust her?” was all Emile asked.

Janus sighed through his nose. “I don’t know, but she has too much dirt on us at her fingertips for us to argue right now. She got _everything_ Emile. If we don’t… there will be nothing left of us.”

Emile sucked in a deep breath. He nodded his head and chewed on his lower lip.

For the first time since the conversation started, Logan opened his mouth to speak. He thought better of it and closed it, choosing to once again press his cheek into Emile’s chest.

Janus walked over and knelt down on the floor. He caught Logan’s red eyes and pulled his lips into a tight line. Keeping his voice as gentle as he could, he said, “I promise you, Logan, I’m not going to let Mara hurt you.”

Logan sniffled and nodded his head in understanding. Emile rested his chin on Logan’s forehead, and he sighed heavily through his nose. A tired side glance from Emile confirmed the exact thought Janus had running through his head.

He hoped he could keep his promise.

* * *

The docks were always quiet at night, but tonight, it set Janus’s entire body on edge. It wasn’t like he used to walk these very streets with the person he was meeting tonight or anything. It wasn’t like he was used to ice cream headaches and fits of laughter and light arson and smoking before sloppy kisses. He was sure he lost his virginity behind that dumpster there. Or maybe it was the one beside it. Hell if he knew or kept track.

Logan’s leg bounced the car beside him. The teen had his hands and palms locked together between his knees. His eyes stared down at the floor, darting left and right. It would be a miracle if any skin remained on his bitten lips. Every once and a while, he’d adjust his glasses or get so lost in thought his leg would stop shaking, but he’d return to his routine soon after.

“Logan,” Janus spoke as gently as possible.

Logan’s whole body froze. He didn’t look up from his spot on the car floor.

Janus continued, “You know the plan, right?”

Logan nodded his head.

“This is so fucked,” Remy’s voice growled beside Logan. Said adult was glaring out the car window at the docs, his fist cradling his head as the other fist gripped onto his knee. He hadn’t looked at Janus since this all began.

“I know.”

“I can’t believe you said yes to her.”

“Remy, she knew about how you came into the country-”

“So the fuck what? You think Logan’s worth more than people know about me being shipped in like cargo?” Remy snapped his head in Janus’s direction. “I’d go back to the Philippines in a heartbeat if it meant that bitch didn’t get her dirty hands on Logan, babe.”

“It wasn’t just you,” Janus shot back. “It was everyone. Everyone, Remy. She even knew about the planted drugs Cassie got caught with years ago. There was no way to make it out of this without everything we’ve worked so hard to build falling apart. And then, she’d have Logan anyway, because you know that’s how she works. And it’s pretty hard to protect Logan from the Philippines, _babe_.”

That seemed to shut Remy up for now. However, he still kept the scowl on his face. Logan looked between the two, a bit lost but not commenting on it. He caught Janus's eye, and he looked away quickly.

Janus sighed through his nose and changed his tone to a much softer one. "Now, Logan, I know I haven't asked you to do anything since you were taken in by Emile, but this is one of the most important missions you'll ever be on. Everyone's life is on the line. Including Emile's."

Logan swallowed hard. He opened his mouth and asked, "And if I can't?"

Janus sighed through his nose. Remy opened his mouth to answer but thought better of it. Logan looked between the two before he drew a conclusion on his own. He swallowed hard.

Another car pulled up across the street, and Janus adjusted his hat.

Showtime.

Janus opened his door, and Remy opened the other. To Janus's surprise, Logan came out of his side instead of Remy's for once. In fact, Logan clung rather close to Janus, as if the crime boss could shield him from what was about to happen. His hand dug into the loose fabric at the small of Janus's back.

Mara's heels clacked on the pavement as she approached with her usual two flunkies. Instead of a bun, her hair curled over her shoulders and made her thin-strapped black dress look strapless.

"Oh, there he is," she cooed. "My little star."

Logan's grip on the back of Janus's suit coat increased. His posture straightened, and he swallowed hard.

Mara stopped a few feet away from Janus, Logan, and Remy, her lips grinning wider than her eyes. She held her arms open as if Logan was supposed to jump into them like a child missing their mother.

Janus put a hand on Logan's shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. He asked, "How do I know you're going to give him back once you're done with him?"

"Please, Janus, which one of us was more honest when it came to their intentions?" Mara asked. A hidden weight hung onto those words, and Janus was not going to bite.

"I want a report in twenty-four hours and not a minute later," Janus instructed. "I want to know what he had for breakfast, where he's sleeping, who he's been with, when-"

"Well, for someone who didn't want to take up any more children into the gang, you sure are protective of him, Janus. What happened? Did you have a change of heart?"

"He's Emile's kid, not mine," Janus defended. He didn't miss the way Logan's head dropped as those words left his lips.

"Ah yes, the golden boytoy of the Escamas gang. How's he been?"

Janus narrowed his eyes. Mara tilted her head back, daring Janus to take the bait. However, Janus soothed his nerves and put on his best fake smile.

“Better than you ever were.”

Mara did her best to hide the dip in her lip, but Janus caught it. He counted it as a win.

“I’ll take Logan now,” Mara said as she reached her hand out, her fingers motioning for Logan to come.

Logan took a deep breath, held his head high, and walked forward without a quiver in his shoulder. Janus’s eyes never left Logan’s back the entire time. Remy held himself back through pure willpower, but instead of watching Logan, he watched the two flunkies that Mara brought with her to make sure they stayed in place.

As Logan reached Mara, she put an arm around his shoulder. With a cheeky grin, she led Logan back to her car without another word. The two goons watched her go, waited until she got into the car safely, then got in as well.

The car disappeared down the street well before Janus could feel his legs again. He hoped Logan could pull this off, or that would be the last time he’d ever see the teen again. Somehow, that hurt worse than going to jail.

* * *

Logan had to say, being in Mara’s car wasn’t as intimidating as he thought it would be. Right away, she started asking him easy questions. What he wanted to work on, which projects he was interested in, when he wanted to work, how many hours, days, what percentage of the money he made he’d like to keep. It felt strangely nice like this is what a business partner should’ve felt like. Logan sipped on the apple juice provided to him as Mara wrote down notes in a tiny booklet. Her teeth chewed the end of her pen.

“So, you have an interest in elephant toothpaste. I could buy an abandoned building to do that experiment in. Of course, we’ll need to look up proper safety instructions and such. I don’t want anyone hurt,” Mara explained. She looked up from her writing to monitor Logan's reactions. “Is that alright with you?”

Logan nodded his head yes.

Mara studied him for a few moments before she sighed through her nose. “You should smile more. Your smile is so cute.”

Logan blushed and looked away, choosing not to comment.

The car turned, and an iron-barred fence came into view. It stopped at the gate, and the driver rolled down the window to give a password. The gates swung open, and the car drove down a long cobblestone driveway.

A giant wooden house stood on top of a hill. The driveway split into a roundabout. A giant fountain that changed to all the different colors of the rainbow centered the circle. The house towered above them at least three stories high, and the front double doors were made of solid oak. Old western-styled lanterns hung on poles to light their way inside.

The car stopped, and Mara waited for someone to open the door for her. She stepped out and motioned for Logan to follow. Logan looked through the window one last time then followed her out.

Two men pulled the double doors back and allowed them both inside. The foyer was well air conditioned and three stories high, and three antler chandeliers hung on the ceiling. The room to the right looked to be some sort of living room, and the room to Logan’s left looked like a dining room. A wooden grand staircase at the end of the foyer split off in two directions, one going left and the other going right.

“What, did you think I was going to keep you in some sort of office space?” Mara asked as she walked forward, the smuggest smile on her face. “Please, I have taste.”

Logan slowly followed her up the stairs, his eyes taking in every detail, from the oil-painted portraits to the animal trophies hanging on the wall.

“Your room includes a bathroom, computer, television, hot tub, and a mini-fridge that you’re able to take from any time you want. If you can’t find something you’d like to eat, there’s a phone you can use to call the kitchen directly. Honestly, you probably won’t need to leave your room at all, so I wouldn’t bother.”

Mara turned the corner and pulled a key from her pocket. She stuck it into a brass doorknob, unlocked the door, and twisted it open.

The room, unlike the rustic look of the rest of the house, was pure white and chrome. Logan stepped in and looked around, feeling like he should take his shoes off so nothing got dirty. Mara put her hands on her hips and turned around to face him.

“If you tell me your favorite colors, I can have your room customized however you like it. We can make it look like you’re on the moon, underwater, in Hawaii, you name it. It’s your space.”

Logan shifted uncomfortably and answered, “I’m not staying that long.”

“Doesn’t matter. I treat all my guests like family,” Mara answered. She took Logan’s bag off his shoulder and set it on his bed. “So, Logan, I know you probably want to get settled into your room, but I did promise a certain someone a personal visit from you.”

Logan straightened a little at that. He asked, “Would it happen to be the hacker that got into Janus’s database?”

“It would. He’s going to be so happy you remember him,” Mara said and clapped her hands together. She walked over to the door and said, “I’ll tell him you’d like to meet in about an hour, okay?”

Without waiting for Logan’s answer, she shut the door. Logan waited until he couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore. When all fell to silence, Logan tested the door. It wasn’t locked, but something was keeping him from opening it. Logan pulled harder. The door banged against something but still wouldn’t open.

There was probably a bolt on the other side to keep it closed, even if Logan decided to leave it unlocked.

Logan let a long sigh out from his nose. He walked over to the bed and flopped onto his back. The phone in his pocket slid out, and Logan pulled it out to stare at it. A picture of him and Emile together, one Emile took when Logan first got the phone, sat behind the digital clock. Emile had Logan wrapped under his arm, a bright smile on his face. Logan looked nervous, scared even. He couldn’t believe he was ever afraid of Emile, but this picture was a constant reminder of how far he came.

Logan let out a long sigh and turned the screen off. He’d message Emile the moment he went to meet this hacker that Mara talked about.

The bed itself was comfortable, not old and dusty like the one he had at Janus’s house. The blankets were made of satin and silk, and the carpet squished under Logan’s feet. Not a speck of dust rested on anything. Not a crack lined the walls. Not a draft entered any hole.

It felt nothing like home.

Logan walked into the bathroom, noting that the tiled floor was heated to keep it from getting cold, and stared into the mirror. His reflection looked more tired than he felt. Logan splashed water on his face and patted it dry with a towel. For a moment, he stood there, breathing in the scent of lavender the towels were washed in, just like the kind Emile washed all his clothes in. It was the only thing in this place that reminded him of home.

Logan swore then and there he would do everything in his power to keep the gang- his family- safe, even if it meant working for this Mara person for a little while.

* * *

Logan straightened his tie for the fifth time since Mara came to get him. They walked side by side down the hallway, their footsteps marching together. Mara turned a corner and stopped at a painted blue door. A frog holding a sign written in a language Logan couldn’t understand hung on the door. The latch to lock the door from the outside was already open, meaning whoever was in there very much wanted to be.

Mara knocked three times.

“Come in,” a muffled voice called out. Mara opened the door.

Logan shielded his eyes as a rainbow disco ball spun in the corner of the room and shot a nice long bolt of red through his pupils. The room was dark save for the rainbow lights. A blue lava lamp sat on top of a dresser covered with various pictures. The floor, which was made of solid hardwood, had clothing thrown all over the place. On the right side of the room was a tall arboreal tank with at least five frogs. The computer in the far corner was in sleep mode, and Latin dance music played from it.

The stuffed animals on the bed cradled a boy around Logan’s age who wore thick-framed glasses. The teen shoved an oreo in his mouth and put them on the floor. Quickly wiping his palms off on his khaki shorts, he jumped off the bed and straightened his blue polo. The short, curly ponytail at the base of his head bounced as he made his way over.

“Oh, oh my gosh,” he said through his mouthful of cookie. He swallowed and smiled, his teeth littered with chocolate waver. “I can’t believe it! You’re him! You’re Logan Star.”

“I am,” Logan replied. He looked at the teen’s hand instead of shaking it.

The kid didn’t seem to get the message, because he grabbed onto Logan’s hand and shook it for him. He said, “It’s such an honor to meet you. I’ve seen all your videos, and when Mara approached me to help save you, I couldn’t believe it. It was like a dream come true.”

“Save me?” Logan asked with a rose brow.

“Logan,” Mara said as she wrapped an arm around Logan’s shoulders, “I’d like you to meet Patton Coracao. He’s the one who found you.”

“Wait, _he’s_ the one who hacked into Janus’s computer system?” Logan asked.

“Sure am!” Patton said and proudly pointed to his chest.

“Now, Logan, don’t be rude. I know he doesn’t look like much, but Patton’s one of the brightest kids I’ve ever had in this place.” Patton practically melted with Mara’s praise.

“Not nearly as smart as Logan though,” Patton added.

“Always so modest. Anyway, I’ll let you two chat for a bit. I know Patton wanted to talk to you for a long time.” Mara winked, and Patton barely held his squeal of joy. Mara let go of Logan’s shoulder and exited the room.

“Now wait a-” Logan jumped as Mara pulled the door shut- “minute.”

The silence between them suffocated Logan. He loosened the tie around his neck and swallowed hard.

Patton walked away and took a flying leap onto his bed. It bounced and waved, most likely a water bed, and he clutched a giant stuffed cat to his chest. Patton patted the spot next to him and said, “Come have a seat, kiddo.”

Logan stiffened, “I hardly think it’s appropriate for you to call me a kid when you are my age.”

“Actually, I’m nine months and nineteen days older than you, so technically you’re still younger.”

Logan could only stare in shock. His whole body tingled with how creepy that was. Logan realized this kid probably knew everything about him, but Logan knew nothing about the kid who ripped him from everything he found safe.

Patton sighed and continued, “But, if you don’t want me to call you kiddo, that’s okay. I won’t.”

“Thank you,” Logan said. Instead of sitting on Patton’s bed, he chose the computer chair. Logan turned the volume dial down so he could hear Patton over the loud dance music.

“You don’t like my music?” Patton asked.

“It’s… loud,” Logan responded.

“Yeah, I get noise complaints a lot. It reminds me of home though, so I like to listen to it a lot. Do you listen to any kind of music or anything? I know you like “White and Nerdy” and “Medicine” but that’s about it.”

Logan took a deep breath before answering, “I don’t listen to much music.”

“Oh,” Patton said as he chewed on his lip. “Yeah, that’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“Forgive me for being so forward, Patton,” Logan said, not missing the giddy smile Patton put on as Logan said his name, “but why did you go through all this trouble to find me?”

Patton furrowed his brow. He put the stuffed cat in his arms off to the side and folded his legs. “Well, you were kidnapped. Why wouldn’t I want to find you?”

“I wasn’t… being held there against my will.”

“How do you mean?”

“They were protecting me.”

“Protecting- wait- protecting you? From what?”

“My parents.”

Patton fell silent. He chewed on his lip, and he played with the edge of his shirt. After opening and closing his mouth, he asked, “Were your parents hurting you?”

“Yes, very much so. My parents were not… they were-”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“Thank you.”

“But, um, does Mara know? Does she know that your parents were like that?”

“As far as I’m aware, yes. She wants to use me to get money back from them.”

“And then what? She sends you back to them even though they’re awful?”

Logan’s lips pulled into a tight line. Patton mumbled something under his breath, something Logan couldn’t hear, before he got up from his bed and started to pace. Logan watched Patton go back and forth as Patton had an argument with himself.

“This is outrage!” Patton cried. He stomped his foot on the ground. “She used me. She told me I was helping you, and she used me. I wanted you back but not like this.” Patton’s voice shrunk down to a whisper. “Not if it means you got hurt.”

Logan watched Patton wipe tears from his eyes, and he let out a pitying sigh through his nose. “What did she tell you, Patton?”

Patton looked at him, his eyes glistening in the low light. He ran a hand over his hair and said, “Well, I was… looking for a job to help Vovó, uh, I think grandma is the right word, and not many people will hire a fourteen-year-old kid, you know? So, I uh, I started looking into hacking jobs, because it’s something I’m not a hack at. Hah, get it? Anyway, Mara found me after I got arrested for breaking into a laboratory and freeing animals being tested on, and she paid for me to be free. And then, she told me she’d give me a job if I worked for her to help find you.”

“That’s quite the story,” Logan responded.

Patton nodded his head. “If I knew she was going to hurt you, I would’ve never agreed. Can I do anything to help make this right?”

Logan thought for a minute, “I know Mara is holding a lot of information you hacked from Janus's computer over his head so he won’t try to get me back. Is there any way you can delete that?”

“Can I?” Patton snorted. “I could have it deleted in minutes.”

“You could?”

“Of course! Here, get off my computer chair for a minute.”

Logan stood, and Patton jumped onto his chair. Patton shook his mouse to wake the computer up. After pulling up a blank black screen, Patton cracked his knuckles and began typing so fast on his keyboard Logan couldn’t keep up.

“So, I’m going to go ahead and delete everything I got on that place. Security cameras, personal files, names, addresses, everything. It will only take a few minutes to completely delete everything on the computer hardware. Then, after that, we can work on getting you out of here and back to them, okay?”

Logan could only nod his head. He couldn’t believe how easy it was to do what Janus asked him to.

“Oh, and Logan,” Patton said as he stopped typing for a moment. “I’m sorry I did this to you. I was just trying to help, and if I knew-”

“It’s alright, Patton. I forgive you. What matters now is we’re getting the mistake rectified, not that you made one in the first place.”

Patton smiled and went back to his work. Rows of text quickly typed themselves before a percentage bar slowly slid across the screen.

“There. Once that reaches 100%, the whole thing will be wiped from the computer.”

“Thank you so much, Patton. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“It’s okay. Us adopted kids gotta stick together, am I right?”

Logan quirked his lips into a small smile before the door opened. Logan stiffened against Patton’s desk. Patton turned in his chair, and Logan noticed how strained Patton’s smile became.

“Oh, hey Mara. We were just discussing science,” Patton said.

“Good. I’m glad you two got along. I’m sure, however, that Logan has had a rough day, so we should probably get him back to his room for some rest, am I right?”

Logan nodded his head and walked away. Patton swallowed hard.

“Wait! Can Logan and I- Logan, I would like to hang out with you sometime later, okay?”

“That would be great,” Logan said as he turned to Mara. Mara shrugged and smiled.

“Of course, boys. Friendship is important, after all.”

Logan glanced back and caught Patton’s genuine smile. He looked at the computer screen, saw the number already at 50%, and nodded his head. Mara led Logan back to his room, and Logan listened as she latched the door closed once again. He wasn’t going anywhere for a while.

Logan walked over to his bed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He curled up into a ball and pushed Emile’s name on his text messages.

 _Logan: I’m safe_.

Almost instantly, he got a reply.

_Mr. Picani: O thank the Lord. Are you hurt?_

_Logan: No, she didn’t hurt me. I met the hacker too._

_Mr. Picani: U did?_

_Logan: Yes. He’s not much older than I am. Only a few months. He thought he was helping me, but it turns out he was tricked. He’s deleting all the files._

Emile didn’t text back, and Logan let his eyes slip closed. For a while, Logan let the uncomfortable silence swallow him whole.

A knock sounded on Logan’s door. Logan held his breath, and he rolled onto his back. His voice closed up, but he swallowed down the lump before he said, “Come in.”

Slowly, the door opened. Patton peeked in through the doorway. He came in and shut the door.

“Patton?” Logan questioned. Patton held a finger to his lips. Logan let his next question die on his lips.

Patton presented what looked to be a credit card, but as Logan took it, he noticed no numbers were on it. Patton explained, “This is my bus card. There’s a bus stop down the road about a mile. Everything on Escamas Inc has been deleted off the hard drive, so I want you to go home and get out of here as fast as you can.”

Logan looked up, his jaw dropped in surprise. He tried to think of something to say, but Patton continued speaking.

“Please, it’s the least I could do, and I’m sorry for all this, really, but I want to make things right.”

“But what about you?” Logan asked. “Surely Mara is not going to be happy when she finds out about all this.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something out. I always do.” Patton smiled, but Logan couldn’t return the gesture. “Now, hurry. I hacked into the security footage and put it on loop for ten minutes. The guards are shifting in five minutes, and that leaves weak spots at the front door for a minute or two. We don’t have much time.”

Logan grabbed his bag off of his bed. The two boys snuck down the hallway and headed to the front door. As Patton said, no one stopped them. They had a few close calls, but no one seemed to pay any mind to the two boys sneaking around in the dark.

Patton led Logan out the back door in the kitchen. Logan took three steps outside before he turned to face his rescuer.

“Thank you so much, Patton, for everything.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’m just doing what any good person would do. Tchau!” Patton closed the door, leaving Logan alone in the dark of night.

* * *

Knocking at Emile’s door woke him faster than a bucket of cold water. Emile groaned as he fished on his nightstand for his glasses. He clicked on the light by his bed. The knocking continued.

“I’m coming,” he called out. Emile held in a yawn as he shuffled over to his door. He unlocked the lock and opened it.

Logan barrelled into Emile’s chest and wrapped his arms around him. It took a moment for Emile to process what just happened, but as soon as he did, he let out a cry of joy and squeezed Logan back as tight as he could. Logan breathed in Emile’s familiar scent of ink, vanilla, and lavender. Several kisses planted themselves in Logan’s hair.

“You’re okay,” Emile breathed into Logan’s hair. “Tell me this isn’t a dream, please.”

“It’s not a dream,” Logan said into Emile’s shirt.

That broke Emile, and he cried into Logan’s hair. “I was so scared I’d never see you again, kiddo.”

Logan’s heart broke at the reflexive word Emile used to describe him. He thought of Patton and hoped the other teen would be alright.

“How did you get out?” Emile asked. “Wait, does she know about this?”

“You remember how I said I met the boy who hacked into our computer system? He made sure I safely escaped. He’s- he’s still in there. I don’t know what’s going to happen to him, but he risked his life to save me. We have to get him out too.”

Emile bit his lip. He sighed through his nose and said, “I don’t know, Logan, you know-”

“We _have_ to get him out. Please.”

Emile looked down at Logan, who stared at him with those wide puppy dog eyes Logan didn’t know he used. A long sigh left Emile’s nose. He nodded his head and said, “Okay, we’ll talk to Janus about it in the morning, okay? I promise. But for now, let’s get some sleep.”

Logan nodded his head. He didn’t bother getting into any sort of pajamas or anything. Instead, he fell asleep safely wrapped in Emile’s arms, too happy to be home to care about what he was wearing or whether or not Janus would help Patton escape.

* * *

“Absolutely not.”

“But Janus-”

“No.” Janus smacked his hand on the desk, making Logan jump. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, Logan. I’m sorry.”

“But he saved me. We can’t just leave him there.”

“I can’t?”

“No.”

“And what would you have me do, Logan? Mara isn’t going to just hand him over. She’s going to want something, probably you. And then this stupid cycle is just going to keep going until she wins.” Janus paused. “Trust me. Mara will always win.”

Logan blinked the tears out of his eyes. “If it was me, what would you do?”

“What?”

“If it was Mara holding me hostage, what would you do?”

“Logan, it’s not-”

“No. Answer the question.”

Janus swallowed thickly. He studied Logan for a moment before he responded, “I would do what I could to get you back, but that’s because you’re part of our family.”

“Really? Because you told Mara that I was Emile’s kid, not yours.”

Janus’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Falsehood. You meant it.”

“Logan,” Janus sat forward in his chair. He took his hat off and rubbed his hand over his face and through his hair. “I can’t just make Mara give this kid back. I’m sorry. I know he helped you, and I’m thankful for it, but I cannot risk Mara using anything she wants as leverage to get him on our side. Besides, if he can get you out, he can get himself out.”

Logan lowered his head. Janus’s heart broke a bit, and he leaned forward.

Janus continued, “You understand, right? I can’t just… I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Logan mumbled. Logan excused himself and hurried to the door, slamming it a little harder than he meant to. The slam echoed throughout Janus’s office. He heard two sharp gasps upstairs as his own bedroom door opened and closed. Of course the twins would be listening. Why wouldn’t they? Janus and Logan were practically screaming at each other.

Janus leaned back in his chair and cursed at the ceiling. For a moment, he pondered about what to do. He hated seeing Logan upset, but how was he supposed to fix this mess? Mara was way out of his league when it came to playing nasty games. She knew all his weaknesses, and she wasn’t afraid to use them to her advantage. However, no matter how much Janus blinked, he couldn’t get Logan’s stupid disappointed face out of his brain.

Like it or not, Janus was gonna have to figure out how to get this stupid fourteen-year-old hacker out of Mara’s grasp, or else Logan’s disappointment was going to haunt him forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm totally cool with just heart comments, so don't worry if you have nothing to say! I'm thankful you even made it this far. If you'd like to keep up with me and my other works, you can find me on Tumblr @ altruistic-skittles
> 
> -Cat


End file.
